The latest smartphone sales data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, for the three months to August 2013, shows Windows Phone has posted its highest ever sales share of 9.2% across the five major European markets* and is now within one percentage point of iOS in Germany. Android remains the top operating system across Europe with a 70.1% market share, but its dominant position is increasingly threatened as growth trails behind both Windows and iOS.

Good news for Microsoft - bad news for Apple. Of course, we'll have to see how the iPhone 5S and 5C affect these numbers.

Yes, it sucks, HARD. Your argument is very very very tired. Anyone criticizes WP, all you hear back is "have you used it yet?" Like that will change people's mind! Yes, I used it, found NONE of the apps I regularly use, and promptly told the sales puke to show me a better phone with more apps.

Anyone that says WP8 has no apps has not seen the store in a while. I have found more useable apps for my Nokia 925 than I ever had for my Samsung s3. The store is growing at a good clip and I have been able to find all of the apps that I used to run on my Samsung and if I did not find the app then there was an equivalent that was as good or better. Nothing really missing at this point except for Instagram and there is a ton of replacements for that. Also Microsoft and Nokia have both been cranking out apps...apps that my friends see and it makes them want to trade un their S4s and iphone5s. MicrosoftPhotosynth is one of those cool apps. Nokia's Now+ driving app runs without a connection and is easier and smoother than Google maps, which is also available for WP8. My phone has sold on its own 5 people this week. After they see my Nokia being used during the workday, they want one. I can't blame them, I love mine and it never crashes.

REAL Microsoft Office, Xbox integration, smoother email apps and integrated Facebook are all home runs for WP8 in my book. I even have my Starbucks and Walgreens card apps and Etrade 😉. Along with a hundred more apps on the phone literally. Out of the thousands of Android apps, there are probably 80% of them that are crap, don't do anything, or poorly written. It's tough to beat the reliability found in managed code apps created in Visual Studio for Windows Phone 8.